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Thomas Vanderbilt
Thomas Vanderbilt was a Human male politician who played a key role in the Earth-Romulan War and served as the first President of the Council of the United Federation of Planets. ( |Beneath the Raptor's Wing|To Brave the Storm}}, ) Biography In 2155, during the Earth-Romulan War he served as United Earth Secretary of Defense in the government of Prime Minister Nathan Samuels. That year, he advised Prime Minister Samuels to terminate the project in favor of increased construction of ships in the United Earth Starfleet. ( ) By 2161, Vanderbilt held the position of Environment Minister of United Earth, and on August 12 of the year he participated in representing United Earth as one of the signatories of the Federation Charter. ( ) In February 2162, Vanderbilt was selected by the Federation Council to serve as the first Federation Council President. As Council President, Vanderbilt was authorized to act for the Council when it was not in session, and to serve as commander-in-chief of the newly-established Federation Starfleet. As the Federation's first de facto head of government, one of his chief priorities was the recruitment of new member states. Upon learning about the emergence of harmful side-effects from long-term usage of the transporter from Admiral Jonathan Archer, Council President Vanderbilt temporarily suspended use of the device unless in emergencies. At the same time however, he regretted the fact that the Federation wouldn't have a technology to bargain with other planets for Federation membership. In March 2163, Vanderbilt traveled to Vega colony for the final talk with that Saurians about the planned trade agreement. During the negotiation, Captain Bryce Shumar informed Vanderbilt and Commissioner Soval that Saurian dictator wanted Federation weapons for conquering his planet. Soval suggested that they sever contact with the Saurians, as the already compromised their world enough, but ultimately Vanderbilt decided that would be even more harmful and the Federation needed the resources, so the trade agreement was finalized. In that year, the Federation Council had decided to establish a full Federation presidency, popularly elected to a four-year term. That year, however, Vanderbilt decided that he would not seek election to the presidency. While unsure of who would succeed him in office, he could not shake the feeling that some day his friend Archer would hold the office. ( ) During his final year in office, Council President Vanderbilt continued to seek enlargement of the Federation, seeking Membership for both Vega colony and the United Rigel Worlds and Colonies. The Rigel worlds were a particular priority for Vanderbilt, and his expansionistic policies – associated with the Federalist movement – inspired backlash in the form of the Planetarist movement. Nonetheless, both polities became Federation Member States in 2164, and Federalist-aligned candidate Haroun al-Rashid, who had also served in Samuels's government, was elected to succeed Vanderbilt. ( ) Vanderbilt had a book published in 2197 titled The Founding: First Days of Federation. ( ) In 2381, one of the rooms in the Palais de la Concorde was named after Vanderbilt. ( ) Appendices Connections category:Humans Category:Humans (22nd century) Category:Politicians category:Federation Presidents Category:Authors